Surgical cutting instrument with dual surface interlocking coupling arrangement

ABSTRACT

A hand-held surgical cutting instrument for cutting bone material with a surgical micro-saw blade has a plurality of openings formed therein. The surgical cutting instrument includes a hand-graspable body for manipulating the cutting instrument and a blade coupling mechanism attached to the body and being configured to attach to the surgical micro-saw blade. The blade coupling mechanism includes a first coupling member including a first blade-contacting surface. The first blade-contacting surface has at least one first protrusion extending therefrom and is configured to engage a first opening in the surgical saw blade. The blade coupling mechanism includes a second coupling member including a second blade-contacting surface facing the first blade-contacting surface of the first coupling member. The second blade-contacting surface having at least one second protrusion extending therefrom and configured to engage a second opening in the surgical saw blade.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present disclosure is related to commonly owned U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/136,935, having the same filing date as the presentapplication, titled, “Surgical Cutting Instrument with Near-PerimeterInterlocking Coupling Arrangement”, incorporated herein in its entiretyby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a surgical cutting instrument, andmore particularly, to a surgical cutting instrument with a dual surfaceinterlocking coupling arrangement.

BACKGROUND

Bone-cutting surgical saws, such as sagittal or oscillating typesurgical saws, cut most effectively at very high speeds, such as forexample, 10000-40000 cycles per minute. These high speeds introduce highlevels of vibration and can cause blade wander during a cut.Accordingly, actual blade cuts frequently have a thickness considerablygreater than the thickness of the actual blade. For example, a cuttingblade having a 0.015 inch thickness may be unable to cut a groove havinga width of less than 0.030 inch.

Some vibration may be due to ineffective coupling systems. Couplingsystems on conventional micro-saws clamp each side of the blade torigidly secure the blade in place. Typical systems include protrusionson a bottom clamp that penetrate openings in the blade, and include anopposing top clamp that is smooth. Accordingly, only the bottom clampholds the blade, while the top clamp is simply a smooth guide for bladeplacement. Over time, clamping forces may decrease, and because only oneclamp secures the blade, the system becomes less stable, introducingadditional vibration in the blade, and possibly resulting in lesscutting effectiveness.

The devices disclosed herein overcome one or more of short-comings inthe prior art.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a hand-heldsurgical cutting instrument for cutting bone material with a surgicalmicro-saw blade having a plurality of openings formed therein. Thesurgical cutting instrument includes a hand-graspable body formanipulating the cutting instrument and a blade coupling mechanismattached to the body and is configured to attach to the surgicalmicro-saw blade. The blade coupling mechanism includes a first couplingmember including a first blade-contacting surface. The firstblade-contacting surface has at least one first protrusion extendingtherefrom and is configured to engage a first opening in the surgicalsaw blade. The blade coupling mechanism includes a second couplingmember including a second blade-contacting surface facing the firstblade-contacting surface of the first coupling member. The secondblade-contacting surface has at least one second protrusion extendingtherefrom and is configured to engage a second opening in the surgicalsaw blade.

In another exemplary aspect, the present disclosure is directed to ahand-held surgical cutting system for cutting bone material. The systemincludes a surgical micro-saw blade having a distal end and a proximalend. The distal end has cutting teeth formed thereon and the proximalend has through-openings formed therein. The system also includes asurgical cutting saw including a hand-graspable body and a bladecoupling mechanism attached to the body and configured to attach to thesurgical micro-saw blade. The blade coupling mechanism includes a firstcoupling member including a first blade-contacting surface. The firstblade-contacting surface has a first plurality of protrusions extendingtherefrom and is configured to engage openings in the surgical sawblade. The first plurality of protrusions are symmetrically disposed onthe first blade-contacting surface. The blade coupling mechanism alsoincludes a second coupling member including a second blade-contactingsurface facing the first blade-contacting surface of the first couplingmember. The second blade-contacting surface has a second plurality ofprotrusions extending therefrom and is configured to engage openings inthe surgical saw blade. The second plurality of protrusions may besymmetrically disposed on the second blade-contacting surface and areoffset from the first plurality of protrusions.

In yet another exemplary aspect, the present disclosure relates to ahand-held surgical cutting instrument for cutting bone tissue with asurgical micro-saw blade having openings formed therein. The surgicalcutting instrument includes a hand-graspable body for manipulating thecutting instrument and a collet assembly attached to the body forattaching to the surgical micro-saw blade. The collet assembly includesa driving shaft including a head portion and a shaft portion. The headportion is removably connected to a first end of the shaft portion andincludes a first blade-contacting surface facing the shaft portion. Theblade-contacting surface has a first plurality of protrusions extendingtherefrom and is configured to engage the openings in the surgical sawblade. The collet assembly also includes a sleeve disposed about thedriving shaft and is axially movable relative to the driving shaft. Thesleeve includes a second blade-contacting surface facing the firstblade-contacting surface. The second blade-contacting surface has asecond plurality of protrusions extending therefrom and is configured toengage openings in the surgical saw blade. The first plurality ofprotrusions are offset from the second plurality of protrusions. Atleast one of the first and second blade-contacting surfaces includes aplurality of receiving recesses formed therein, the receiving recessesare sized and shaped to receive the respective protrusions of the otherof the at least one of the first and second blade-contacting surfaces.

These and other features will become apparent from the followingdescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary oscillating bone-cuttingsurgical system.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a portion of an exemplary collet assemblyfrom the surgical system of FIG. 1 with a micro-saw blade.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a cross-section of the exemplary colletassembly of FIG. 2 with the micro-saw blade.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the collet assembly of FIG. 2 with adriving shaft head removed to show a blade-contacting surface on asleeve.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary driving shaft head of thecollet assembly of FIG. 2, showing a blade-contacting surface.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary driving shaft shank of thecollet assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary micro-saw blade from thebone-cutting surgical system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an alternative embodiment of a drivingshaft usable in an a collet assembly.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an exemplary sagittal bone-cutting surgicalsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to embodiments or examplesillustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitationof the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alteration andfurther modifications in the described embodiments, and any furtherapplications of the principles of the invention as described herein arecontemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to whichthe disclosure relates.

Generally, the present disclosure relates to a bone cutting surgicalsystem including a hand-held, high-speed, bone-cutting surgical saw,such as a sagittal or oscillating saw, and a cutting micro-saw blade.The saw includes a collet assembly with protrusions, such as pins ornubs, that mesh with or extend into openings on the cutting blade,thereby securing the blade in place in the collet assembly. In order toimprove blade stability, the collet assembly disclosed herein includesprotrusions that project into opening in the micro-saw blade from boththe upper and lower sides. These offsetting protrusions may equalize theblade attachment, may reduce vibration, and may improve overall bladestability. In turn, this may improve cutting accuracy, which can reducepatient trauma and speed recovery time.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the present disclosure is directed to abone-cutting surgical system 100 including a surgical saw 102 and aselectively removable micro-saw blade 104. The surgical saw 102 includesa hand-piece 106, a cord 108, and a connector 110 configured toremovably couple with a power source. The connector 110 is merelyexemplary, and it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that anysuitable connector may be used, and in some embodiments, the cord 108itself may be coupled to the power source without the use of aconnector. Additional contemplated embodiments include a power source asa part of the hand-piece 106, such as a battery powered hand-piece.

The hand-piece 106 includes a motor assembly 112, a grip 114, and acollet assembly 116. In some embodiments, the motor assembly 112 ishoused within the grip 114, while in other embodiments, it is disposedadjacent to the grip 114. It is contemplated that any suitable systemfor controlling the surgical saw 102 may be used. For example, someembodiments include a trigger system disposed on the hand-piece 106 toprovide hand-control of the cutting speed, or alternatively, a footpedal associated with the hand-piece 106 through the power source toprovide the controlling inputs. Other control systems also arecontemplated.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a portion of the exemplary collet assembly 116, andFIGS. 4-6 show collet assembly components. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3,the collet assembly 116 secures the saw blade 104 to the surgical saw102 and transfers a driving force from the motor to the blade. In thisembodiment, it includes a driving shaft 118 and a sleeve 120 defining alongitudinal collet axis 122. The sleeve 120 receives and extends aboutthe driving shaft 118 and is axially movable along the collet axis 122relative to the driving shaft 118, enabling selective coupling with theblade 104. It is contemplated that any suitable material may be used forthe collet assembly 116. In one embodiment, a biocompatible stainlesssteel material, such as Stainless 17-4 is used.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the sleeve 120 includes a head 124 and ashank 126, with a central bore 128 extending therethough. In FIG. 4, aportion of the driving shaft 118 is disposed within the bore 128. Thebore 128 permits the sleeve 120 to move axially along the driving shaft118, enabling selective locking and releasing of the blade 104. The head124 includes a substantially planar blade-contacting surface 130 and anouter perimeter 132 adjacent the blade-contacting surface 130.

The blade-contacting surface 130 includes a plurality of protrusions 134formed thereon. These are symmetrically disposed about the collet axis122 and are configured to interface with the saw blade 104. Here, thesleeve 120 includes four protrusions 134 extending therefrom, spacedapart about the collet axis 122 at 90 degree intervals. It iscontemplated that more or fewer protrusions 134 may be present. Theprotrusions 134 may be integrally formed with sleeve 120 or, formanufacturing convenience, may be separate components fit, such as withan interference fit, into receiving ports (not shown) formed in theblade-contacting surface 130. In this embodiment, the protrusions 134are rectangular projections having a height equal to or greater than thethickness of a corresponding saw blade 104. In other examples however,the protrusions 134 have a circular, triangular, or diamond-shapedcross-section. Protrusions of other shapes are also contemplated.

In addition to the protrusions, the blade-contacting surface 130includes a plurality of receiving recesses 136. In FIG. 4, each of theseare disposed between adjacent protrusions 134, spaced symmetricallyabout the collet axis 122. Like the protrusions 134, the receivingrecesses 136 are spaced 90 degrees apart. These have a depth less thanthe height of the adjacent protrusions, and as discussed below, aresized to receive protrusions on the driving shaft 118.

The driving shaft 118 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6.Here, the driving shaft 118 includes a head 138 removably coupled to adistal end 139 of a shaft 140. The shaft 140 defines a longitudinallyextending shaft axis 142 (FIG. 6).

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5 the head 138 includes a blade-contactingsurface 144 and an outer perimeter 146. Here, the blade-contactingsurface 144 includes a central recess 148 for connecting with the distalend 139 of the shaft 140. In this embodiment, the central recess 148 issquare shaped. The distal end 139 of the shaft 140 also is grooved to besquare-shaped so that when the driving shaft 118 is assembled, the head138 is unable to rotate relative to the shaft 140. A through hole 150 inthe central recess 148 receives a fastener, such as a screw 150 (shownin FIG. 2) that extends into a corresponding bore 152 in the end of thedistal end 139 of the shaft 140 to fasten the head 138 to the shaft 140.

The blade-contacting surface 138 also includes protrusions 154 formedthereon. Like those on the sleeve, these are symmetrically disposedabout the collet axis 122 and are configured to interface with the sawblade 104. Here, the head 138 includes four protrusions 154 extendingtherefrom, spaced apart at 90 degree intervals. It is contemplated thatmore or fewer protrusions 154 may be present. The protrusions 154 may beintegrally formed with head 138 or may be separate components fit intoreceiving ports. Like those on the sleeve 120, the protrusions 154 arerectangular projections having a height equal to or greater than thethickness of the corresponding saw blade 104. Protrusions of othershapes are also contemplated. As discussed below, these protrusions areshaped and sized to fit into the receiving recess formed in the sleeve120.

The shaft 140 includes the distal end 139 either connected to orintegral with the head 138 and includes a proximal end 156. In thisembodiment, the proximal end 156 includes a motor coupling feature 158shown as a pin-receiving through passage that connects either directlyor cooperatively to the motor to provide the cutting oscillationrequired.

Referring now to FIG. 3, as can be seen, the sleeve blade-contactingsurface 130 and the driving shaft blade-contacting surface 144 face eachother. The outer perimeter 146 of the head 138 is sized to havesubstantially the same diameter as the sleeve outer perimeter 132. Thesleeve 120 and driving shaft 118 may axially move apart to receive theblade 104, and then come together to clamp the blade 104 between theblade-contacting surfaces 130, 144. Although not shown, a spring forcemay be used to bias the sleeve 120 into a clamped position to secure anyblade in place.

FIG. 7 shows the exemplary micro-saw blade 104 usable with the surgicalsaw 102 in FIG. 1 and securable with the collet assembly 116 in FIGS.2-6. The micro-saw blade 104 may be stamped and/or machined form asingle material having a thickness in the range of 0.007-0.022 inch, forexample. It includes a proximal end 180 that facilitates interconnectionwith the collet assembly 116 and a distal end 182 having a cutting edgeincluding a plurality of cutting teeth 184 formed thereon.

In this example, the proximal end 180 is defined by a relatively bulboushead 186 that includes a slot 188 extending inwardly along alongitudinal axis 190 from the proximal end of the saw blade 104. Theslot 188 is formed with a funnel-like opening 192 defined bysubstantially straight edges 194 facing toward the longitudinal axis190. The straight edges 194 may help guide the saw blade 104 into placeon the collet assembly 116. A partially circular outer perimeter 196defines an outer edge of the bulbous head 186. In some embodiments, theouter perimeter 196 has a diameter substantially the same as, orslightly smaller than, the diameter of the driving shaft head 138 andthe sleeve head 124.

Openings 198 formed in the proximal end 180 permit the saw blade 104 tobe secured to the surgical saw collet assembly 116. In the embodimentshown, the openings 198 are symmetrically disposed about a center point200. Here, at least two openings 198 lie directly on opposing sides ofthe center point 200 and on transverse sides of the longitudinal axis190. A centrally disposed opening 198 lies along the longitudinal axis190. In the example shown the openings 198 are offset from each other by45 degrees and are sized to match the protrusions 134, 154 on thedriving shaft 118 and sleeve 120. However, other offset angles arecontemplated that match the desired collet assembly.

Here, each opening 198 is rectangular shaped in order to match the shapeof the protrusions of the collet assembly 116. In the example shown, thebulbous head 186 includes five openings 204, 206. However, in otherembodiments, more or less openings may be provided. When the funnel-likeopening 192 has an angle smaller than that shown, additional openingsmay be included, while maintaining the 45 degree spacing shown.

Returning to FIG. 3, the collet protrusions interconnect with the sawblade 104 to secure it in place. The sleeve protrusions 134 extendupwardly in FIG. 3, through the openings 198 and abut against theblade-contacting surface 144. Likewise, although not visible in FIG. 3,the driving shaft protrusions 154 extend downwardly through the openings198 and into the receiving recesses 136 in the sleeve 120. Accordingly,in the saw blade embodiment having five openings 198 as in FIG. 7,either two or three protrusions pass through the blade openings 198 fromthe bottom and either two or three protrusions pass through the bladeopenings 198 from the top. Because the sleeve protrusions 134 are spaced90 degrees apart and the driving shaft protrusions 154 are spaced 90degrees apart, but offset from the sleeve protrusions by 45 degrees, theblade 104 can be removed and secured in the collet assembly in eightdifferent positions. In some embodiments, for example, the colletassembly includes a total of only four protrusions or six protrusions,and the openings on the blade 104 are chosen to correspond with theprotrusions. Other amounts of protrusions are contemplated.

In addition to securing the saw blade 104 in place with the protrusions134, 154, the blade-contacting surfaces 130, 134 also frictionallyengage and reduce vibration and play. Accordingly, it may be beneficialto provide as much contact area between the blade and blade-contactingsurfaces as is practicable. Accordingly, in the embodiment shown, theprotrusions 134, 154 are formed with rectangular cross-sections insteadof circular cross-sections. Rectangular shaped protrusions can have thesame maximum width as a corresponding cylindrical protrusions forstability, but permits an overall increase in the blade surface areathat interfaces with the blade-contacting surfaces 130, 144. This toomay help more solidly secure the blade 104 in place in the colletassembly 116.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative driving shaft 250. Here the driving shaftincludes the shaft 140, but includes an alternative head 252. Becausemany of the features of the head 252 are similar to those discussedabove, only the differences will be discussed in detail. Here, inaddition to having rectangular protrusions 254, the head 252 includes aplurality of receiving recesses 256. Each of these are disposed betweenthe adjacent protrusions 254, and spaced symmetrically about a drivingshaft axis 258. The protrusions 254 are spaced 90 degrees apart, and thereceiving recesses are spaced 90 degrees apart. These receiving recesses256 are shaped differently than the corresponding protrusions on thesleeve 120 however. These receiving recesses 256 are shaped with acurved inner end and parallel sides that extend entirely to an outerperimeter 260. Accordingly, in use with this embodiment, the sleeveprotrusions 134 may extend entirely through the blade openings 198, butinstead of abutting directly against the blade-contacting surface of thedriving shaft, the sleeve protrusions project into the receivingrecesses 256.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the receiving recesses onthe head may be shaped and sized similar to those described relative tothe sleeve 120, but that any suitable size and shape may be used.

FIG. 9 shows a sagittal saw 300 for driving the saw blade 104. In thisembodiment, a collet assembly 302 is arranged to secure the blade 104 inan axial direction relative to a saw handle 304. Accordingly, in thisembodiment, the collet assembly 302 includes side-by-sideblade-contacting surfaces. However, like the oscillating saw 102disclosed in FIGS. 1-6, the sagittal saw 300 includes protrusionsdisposed on both blade-contacting surfaces adjacent an exterior edge ofthe collet fixture, and the blade 104 is sized so that the outerperimeter of the head of the saw blade substantially corresponds to theedge of the collet assembly.

Although only a few exemplary embodiments have been described in detailabove, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that manymodifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments withoutmaterially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of thisdisclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications and alternatives areintended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined inthe following claims. Those skilled in the art should also realize thatsuch modifications and equivalent constructions or methods do not departfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they maymake various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A hand-held surgical cutting instrument for cutting bone material with a surgical micro-saw blade having a plurality of openings formed therein, the surgical cutting instrument, comprising: the surgical micro-saw blade; a hand-graspable body for manipulating the cutting instrument; a blade coupling mechanism attached to the body and being configured to attach to the surgical micro-saw blade, the blade coupling mechanism comprising: a first coupling member including a first blade-contacting surface, the first blade-contacting surface having at least one first protrusion rigidly fixed to and extending therefrom that is configured to engage a first opening in the surgical saw blade, and at least one first recess formed in the first blade contacting surface; a shaft extending from the first blade-contacting surface; and a second coupling member including a second blade-contacting surface facing the first blade-contacting surface of the first coupling member, the second blade-contacting surface having at least one second protrusion rigidly fixed to and extending therefrom that is configured to engage a second opening in the surgical saw blade, and at least one second recess formed in the second blade contacting surface, a sleeve defining at least a portion of the second coupling member configured to move relative to the shaft to selectively engage the surgical micro-saw blade, wherein the at least one first protrusion is not rigidly fixed to the second coupling member, and wherein the at least one second protrusion is not rigidly fixed to the first coupling member; wherein the surgical micro-saw blade is compressed at a first end between the first blade-contacting surface and the second blade-contacting surface, wherein the surgical micro-saw blade includes a cutting edge at a second end; wherein when compressed the at least one first protrusion extends past the surgical micro-saw blade via the first opening and is at least partially received in the at least one second recess and the at least one second protrusion extends past the surgical micro-saw blade via the second opening and is at least partially received in the at least one first recess; wherein when compressed the shaft extends past the surgical micro-saw blade and through a bore in the second coupling member.
 2. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the at least one first protrusion includes four protrusions symmetrically spaced 90 degrees apart, and the at least one second protrusion includes four protrusions symmetrically spaced 90 degrees apart, the second protrusions being offset from the first protrusions by 45 degrees.
 3. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the at least one first protrusion is a rectangular shaped protrusion.
 4. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 3, wherein the second coupling member comprises at least one rectangular shaped receiving recess formed therein, the receiving recess being located to receive the at least one first protrusion.
 5. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the shaft portion extends normal to the first blade-contacting surface and through the second blade-contacting surface, the at least one first protrusion comprising a plurality of protrusions disposed symmetrically about the shaft portion and the at least one second protrusion comprising a plurality of protrusions being disposed symmetrically about the shaft portion.
 6. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the first coupling member comprises a head and a shaft, the first blade-contacting surface being formed on the head, the head being removably connected to the shaft.
 7. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 6, wherein the first blade-contacting surface includes a central recess and the shaft extends into the central recess.
 8. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 6, wherein the first coupling member comprises a plurality of first receiving recesses formed therein, the first receiving recesses being located and shaped to receive the at least one second protrusion; and wherein the second coupling member comprises a plurality of second receiving recesses formed therein, the second receiving recesses being located and shaped to receive the at least one first protrusion.
 9. A hand-held surgical cutting system for cutting bone material, comprising: a surgical micro-saw blade having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end having cutting teeth formed thereon, the proximal end having through-openings formed therein; and a surgical cutting saw comprising: a power source; a hand-graspable body; a blade coupling mechanism attached to the body and being configured to attach to the proximal end of the surgical micro-saw blade, the blade coupling mechanism comprising: a first coupling member including a first blade-contacting surface, the first blade-contacting surface having a first plurality of protrusions rigidly fixed to and extending therefrom and configured to engage openings in the surgical saw blade, the first plurality of protrusions being symmetrically disposed on the first blade-contacting surface; a second coupling member including a second blade-contacting surface facing the first blade-contacting surface of the first coupling member, the second blade-contacting surface having a second plurality of protrusions rigidly fixed to and extending therefrom and configured to engage openings in the surgical saw blade, the second plurality of protrusions being symmetrically disposed on the second blade-contacting surface and being offset from the first plurality of protrusions; a shaft portion that extends normal to the first blade-contacting surface and through the second blade-contacting surface, the first and the second plurality of protrusions being disposed symmetrically about the shaft portion; and a sleeve portion that extends normal to the second blade-contacting surface, wherein the shaft portion extends through the sleeve portion; wherein the shaft portion transfers power from the power source to the blade coupling mechanism; wherein the first plurality of protrusions are not rigidly fixed to the second coupling member, and wherein the second plurality of protrusions are not rigidly fixed to the first coupling member.
 10. The surgical cutting system of claim 9, wherein the second coupling member comprises a plurality of receiving recesses formed therein, the receiving recesses being located and shaped to receive respective protrusions of the first plurality of protrusions.
 11. The surgical cutting system of claim 10, wherein the protrusions have a height greater than a thickness of the blade.
 12. The surgical cutting system of claim 10, wherein the receiving recesses have a shape similar to the shape of the protrusions of the first plurality of protrusions.
 13. The surgical cutting system of claim 10, wherein the second coupling member includes an outer perimeter, and the receiving recesses extend to and intersect the outer perimeter.
 14. The surgical cutting system of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of protrusions includes four protrusions symmetrically spaced 90 degrees apart, and the second plurality of protrusions includes four protrusions symmetrically spaced 90 degrees apart, the second plurality of protrusions being offset from the first plurality of protrusions by 45 degrees.
 15. The surgical cutting system of claim 10, wherein the saw blade through openings are rectangular shaped, and wherein the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions are rectangular shaped protrusions.
 16. The surgical cutting system of claim 15, wherein the second coupling member comprises at least one rectangular shaped receiving recess formed therein, the receiving recesses being located to receive at least one protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions.
 17. The surgical cutting system of claim 9, wherein the first blade-contacting surface includes a central recess and the shaft portion, separate therefrom, extends into the central recess.
 18. A hand-held surgical cutting instrument for cutting bone tissue with a surgical micro-saw blade having openings formed therein, the surgical cutting instrument, comprising: the surgical micro-saw blade; a hand-graspable body for manipulating the surgical cutting instrument; a collet assembly attached to the body for attaching to the surgical micro-saw blade, the collet assembly comprising: a driving shaft including a head portion and a shaft portion, the head portion being removably connected to a first end of the shaft portion, the head portion including a first blade-contacting surface facing the shaft portion, the first blade-contacting surface having a first plurality of protrusions arranged about the shaft portion and rigidly fixed to and extending therefrom and configured to engage and pass through first respective discreet openings in the surgical saw blade; and a sleeve disposed about the shaft portion of the driving shaft and axially movable relative to the driving shaft, the sleeve including a second blade-contacting surface facing the first blade-contacting surface, the second blade-contacting surface having a second plurality of protrusions arranged about the shaft portion and rigidly fixed to and extending therefrom and configured to engage and pass through second respective discreet openings in the surgical saw blade, the first plurality of protrusions being offset about the shaft portion from the second plurality of protrusions, wherein the first plurality of protrusions are not rigidly fixed to the sleeve, and wherein the second plurality of protrusions are not rigidly fixed to the head portion, and wherein at least one of the first and second blade-contacting surfaces includes a plurality of receiving recesses formed therein, the receiving recesses being sized and shaped to receive the first or second respective protrusions of the other of the first or second blade-contacting surfaces; wherein the surgical micro-saw blade extends from the hand-graspable body and is powered through the collet assembly.
 19. The hand-held surgical cutting instrument of claim 18, wherein the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions are rectangular shaped protrusions.
 20. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the first protrusion and the first coupling member are integrally formed as a monolithic body, and wherein the second protrusion and the second coupling member are integrally formed as a monolithic body.
 21. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the first protrusion and the first coupling member are formed of separate components rigidly fixed together wherein the first protrusion is configured to pass through a first through bore of a proximal end of the surgical micro-saw blade to fixedly hold the micro-saw blade relative to the first coupling member, and wherein the second protrusion and the second coupling member are formed of separate components rigidly fixed together wherein the second protrusion is configured to pass through a second through bore of the proximal end of the surgical micro-saw blade to fixedly hold the micro-saw blade relative to the second coupling member.
 22. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the first coupling member comprises: a first distal end on the at least one first protrusion at a distal elevation relatively higher than the first blade contacting surface; and a first receiving recess having a bottom surface at a bottom elevation relatively lower than the first blade contacting surface; and wherein the second coupling member comprises: a second distal end on the at least one second protrusion at a distal elevation relatively higher than the second blade contacting surface; and a second receiving recess having a bottom surface at a bottom elevation relatively lower than the second blade contacting surface; and wherein the first receiving recess is located and shaped to receive the at least one second protrusion, and the second receiving recess is located and shaped to receive the at least one first protrusion.
 23. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, wherein the shaft is a driving shaft to transfer power from a power source to the surgical micro-saw blade.
 24. The surgical cutting instrument of claim 1, the first blade-contacting surface and the at least one first protrusion is opposed to the second coupling member and the at least one second protrusion.
 25. The surgical cutting system of claim 10, wherein the surgical micro-saw blade extends transverse to the shaft portion; wherein the first plurality of protrusions are symmetrically spaced about the shaft and the second plurality of protrusions are symmetrically spaced about the sleeve portion offset from the first plurality of protrusions.
 26. The hand-held surgical cutting instrument of claim 19, wherein the surgical micro-saw blade extends transverse from the hand-graspable body. 